Take this Job and Shove It, I'll Take Two Beers and Slide

Admit it. We’re all just a little in awe of Steven Slater, the JetBlue flight attendant who announced his resignation over the PA on a recent flight, grabbed two beers, deployed the emergency exit slide and made a grand, flourishing departure. This is the second story just this week of someone quitting a job in a creative, dramatic way, though the other story proved to be a hoax.

The problem with emulating Steve's strategy for quitting a job? While you may get your 15 minutes of fame, you’ll be hard pressed to find another job. Who wants to hire an employee that made a mockery of the boss or the company?

We’ve all had jobs, bosses, coworkers or clients that make us want to scream. In two different jobs, I’ve had to work with someone I really disliked. Correction: loathed. In the years we worked together, I repeatedly told these people exactly what I thought of them….in my head. Instead I opted to handle my issues in a more delicate manner. I’d like to say it was my grace and maturity that kept me from actually telling people off, but it was more likely my fear of confrontation. Whatever the reason, in both cases, the person eventually became my boss. Had I given in to my desire to say exactly what was on my mind, I’d likely have been out of a job.

Burning bridges may feel good in the moment. We spend more time at work than anywhere else, and emotions can run high. But every industry is its own small community, where employees move from company to company, often working with or for the same people over and over again.  So before you do anything crazy, stop and think, would you want a potential employer to know how you quit?

That said, I still recommend the two beers.

Comments

[Alison French]

On a related note, someone once told me "You'll learn something from every manager you have, even the bad ones." Like most people, over the course of my career I've had both good and bad managers, and there have been plenty of bridges I've wanted to burn. But in retrospect, it's the worst managers, as much as the best, who have shaped my management style. They've shown me what not to do, and helped me understand, from the employee perspective, why. While I don't exactly feel that I owe them a debt of gratitude, it has made me realize that all of our interactions, even the unpleasant ones, can have value - if we take a moment to find it. Two beers and a slide won't necessarily pay out in the same way.

[Louie]

In regards to Steven Slater, I am amazed at all the publicity given to him. Why are we praising someone for doing something that demonstrates poor judgment? We all have fantasies about what we may wish to do, but in almost all cases, the ends do not justify the means. This is a classic example. When you re-employee a person like Steven, are you acknowledging that conduct like this is now acceptable? Steven works in a very competitive customer service driven industry and frequently people's temperament is on the edge due to time, business, security and personal issues. His years of experience should have enabled him to walk away form this yet he imploded and is receiving accolades from many for this. Steven's final actions were wrong with his behavior pointing to employee misconduct. At present the suspension is appropriate but termination should apply.

[Wendy]

Maybe an exit like that should be reserved for those ready to retire :)

[Bo Lasquis]

"Admit it. We’re all just a little in awe of Steven Slater,"

Uhhhh no, I'm sorry. I'm not. I find nothing awe-worthy in the petty and selfish actions of Mr. Slater. To review: he activated a piece of safety equipment that took an expensive piece of equipment out of service for hours. He caused many passengers to be delayed in their travels and some to miss their connecting flights. He stole company property. He abandoned his passengers while he was still legally and morally responsible for their safety. And he committed several violations of federal airport security laws.

Awe? I think not.

I'm much more in awe of the vast majority of flight attendants who deal effectively and politely with rude customers all day every day. All the while, they maintain their composure, provide top-notch customer service, keep their passengers safe, respect company property, abide by Federal laws, and add value to their employer's bottom line in the way they represent them to their customers.

Those who do all of this day in and day out are worthy of our awe.